by Lindsay H. Jones, USA TODAY Sports

by Lindsay H. Jones, USA TODAY Sports

And this one, the six-game suspension of star linebacker Von Miller for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, is the biggest blow yet - more embarrassing than a pair of front office drunken-driving arrests and more significant than the fax fiasco that led to Elvis Dumervil's departure in March.

Miller, a two-time Pro Bowl pick who compiled 30 sacks in his first two seasons, was thrown for a loss by spilled and diluted urine samples. Both are considered violations of NFL drug policy.

"We're frustrated with what's happened, and, I think, disappointed in Von," Broncos executive vice president John Elway said Tuesday. "We'll live with that decision."

The Broncos have no other choice. With a little more than two weeks until the season opener against the defending NFL champion Baltimore Ravens, the Broncos must figure out how to survive without Miller and make sure the loss of their defensive standout doesn't derail their Super Bowl-or-bust season before it begins.

After Baltimore, the Broncos will play the New York Giants, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars before Miller can return for the team's Week 7 game at the Indianapolis Colts.

"Distractions are also when you are getting patted on the back all the time, too, which we have been quite a bit. I think this is something we realize," Elway said.

"Von was a big part of our defense, and we're going to have to play and make up for that slack."

Broncos coach John Fox conceded that his favorite saying is hard to fathom in this case.

"I know it is 'next man up.' But he's a hard man to replace," Fox said of Miller.

It seemed bad enough for the Broncos' pass rush when Dumervil chose to sign with the Ravens in March rather than come back to Denver after his agent's fax mistake led to his release.

The Broncos signed veteran Shaun Phillips to help fill Dumervil's pass rush void in April, but they intended to pair him with Miller. Phillips, along with third-year linebacker Nate Irving, will be the first two players tasked with replacing Miller - Irving in the base defense, Phillips as a pass rusher.

Miller has taken nearly every snap with the starting defense since training camp began last month, started in the two preseason games and is expected to start again Saturday. He missed one practice this summer to meet with union officials.

Miller's punishment is the result of hours of negotiations among Miller's legal team, attorneys from the NFL Players Association and officials from the NFL, who found Miller to be in violation of the second phase of the league's drug program when he first spilled a urine sample and later submitted a diluted sample after an offseason workout at the Broncos training facility. The diluted sample could be viewed as the result of overhydration or an attempt to defraud the test.

"Although my suspension doesn't result from a positive test, there is no excuse for my violations of the rules," Miller said in a statement.

"I made mistakes, and my suspension has hurt my team, Broncos fans and myself. I am especially sorry for the effect of my bad decisions on others."

The suspension could have been longer, as much as a year, because Miller was already in the league's drug program because of a positive test in his rookie season of 2011 and complications with this situation.

Though Miller's camp, with help from the NFLPA, tried to negotiate a four-game suspension, the six-game ban was viewed as a compromise. Miller can practice and play with his teammates through the final preseason game Aug. 29.

His suspension will begin Aug. 31, though Fox said Miller would be allowed to attend meetings and work out under the supervision of Broncos strength coaches for the duration of his suspension.